Top five things you think are holding OKC back...

[Buffalo Bill]

2. Lack of pride from every citizen. When your own people bash the city how can you expect to have a positive image? New York City dwellers love their city good and bad. We should have the same appreciation for ours.

I totally agree with this. As for New York and its denizens, their civic pride can be summed up here:

The Daily Show "New York vs. Texas" Lewis Black on Vimeo

[Bunty]

5. Small businesses. Every city that I love is growing and thriving because of small businesses. We need to have more ways to encourage small business. The state and city are happy when Continental moves to town, but what about Grateful Bean coffee shop or Ruby's flower shop. Which one makes you happier? Which one adds to the city. I know we need both, the state already does a lot for big business... but its the small businesses that makes cities great in my point of view. Having Keep it Local and other small local business supporters is crucial to a great city.

Downtown Stillwater is thriving due to the fact it was made into a Business Improvement District. Downtowns that are stagnant or deteriorating, due to Wal-Mart and strip malls ought to try it.

[Bunty]

I agree. However, that's where the problem comes into play though of Oklahoma's cities being more rural minded than most cities are compared to their states. There is a sharp contrast politically between Kansas City and the state of Kansas, Little Rock and rural Arkansas, or Austin and the state of Texas. There really isn't that much of a difference between Oklahoma City and rural Oklahoma when it comes to politics.

More concerned people, working from the grass roots level, need to be more activist minded and come together more to think of ways to try to bypass or work around all this bad, too often highly unrepresentative state government. I think Oklahoma City and Tulsa have been doing that to some extent.

[TheTravellers]

1. Political climate. ...
2. Liquor laws. ...
3. Development standards. ...
4. Sprawl/Patchwork neighborhoods. ...
5. Stereotypes/Image/inferiority complex. ...
...

Agree totally with #1, a lot with #2, not sure about #3 or #4, but agree with #5.

I'd probably substitute #3 with Pete's #1 (Public Health), and definitely Pete's #5 (Education) would be substituted for #4. If you educate people, all kinds of things cascade from that with great effect - better health, better voting, better politicians, etc. (or at least, one would hope). The mass conservatism and Pete's #3 (Old Boys Club) are all-pervasive, it seems, and yes, it would be nice if there was some legit (as in able to make a difference) progressive voice in OK, but there ain't much.

[Questor]

1. State legislature
2. State legislature
3. State legislature
4. State legislature
5. State legislature.

I actually came here to post this, lol.

[Questor]

One thing that never gets mentioned, but I think it has a big negative impact, is the relative lack of venture capital here, or more generally the lack of investment cash there seems to be here. I think a lot of the time the reason we don't have a certain business here is because it's a franchise and no locals have stepped up with the cash and net worth required to make things happen. I mean yeah clearly okc has a small business community, but my sense is that it is nowhere near the size (in terms of funding) of the ones of similarly sized cities in Texas. It slows progress here because we constantly have to turn to out of state investors who may or may not want to move here.

[coov23]

I totally agree with this. As for New York and its denizens, their civic pride can be summed up here:

The Daily Show "New York vs. Texas" Lewis Black on Vimeo

I'm pretty sure most Oklahomans feel the same way about Texas as Lewis Black.

[LandRunOkie]

1)

4) STEM funding (at high school and collegiate level), STEM post-graduate degreed work force, and this know how integrated into OKC business life. You want economic growth, have a populace degreed in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, fused with Business market applications. I wish there was a high quality and respected university downtown that specialized in the fields that fuel innovation and growth. This would have the added benefit of raising the population density downtown and create a market for practical consumption in an urban environment. I don't know the feasibility of creating a new university from scratch--particularly if you're trying to build a great one with immediate respect in the market--but a 10,000 person student body of STEM/Business double majors (and graduate students) within walking distance of the CBD would attract a lot of companies and prompt venture capital for new firms based on this human capital.

Agree 100%. You start with education and the civic, infrastructural, and economic problems work themselves out. Heck DFW has a better university within their city limits (according to US News and World Report) than we have in the whole state, TCU. Particular shame goes to Glenn Coffee. I know he resents scientists on a personal level.

[Stew]

Alec

[catcherinthewry]

1. Scott Brooks
2. Kendrick Perkins

Oh wait.....Sorry, wrong thread.

[Dennis Heaton]

1. Scott Brooks
2. Kendrick Perkins

Oh wait.....Sorry, wrong thread.

[RadicalModerate]

I have to question the premise behind the original question:
The implicit and implied assumption/preconceived notion is that OKC is being held back.
I don't think that it is.
And I'm not sure why anyone would think so.
Except'n mebbe an "Outsider" . . .

[OKCretro]

1.the liberal minority in the state who complain about everything an blame everything on the Gov. and the elected reps over at the capital. They love bashing the sally kern types (who I don't even agree with) but liberals fail to realize if they had even a decent candidate to run against her, they might win. But no, the liberals either don't have any quality candidates.
2. education, the liberals love bashing Baressi and Fallin but fail to realize or bind fully forget they had control of the system for years if not decades. But it was even worse back then. So why not give Baressi a shot.
3. the Dem candidates. One thing I find funny is that during the election year if you look at yard signs you will barely see any Democrats running, announce they are democrat on their signs. Own who you are and be proud. Also the language they use. I saw a flier from a candidate who wanted "to stop the extremist views" at our state capital. Basically the candidate was calling Oklahomans in the district that voted for the elected official stupid. That is no way to win an election, insulting your own constitutes.
4. Health. We should ban public smoking and raise the tax on cigarettes.
5. liquor laws. They are out dated and need to be updated.

[Plutonic Panda]

1.the liberal minority in the state who complain about everything an blame everything on the Gov. and the elected reps over at the capital. They love bashing the sally kern types (who I don't even agree with) but liberals fail to realize if they had even a decent candidate to run against her, they might win. But no, the liberals either don't have any quality candidates.
2. education, the liberals love bashing Baressi and Fallin but fail to realize or bind fully forget they had control of the system for years if not decades. But it was even worse back then. So why not give Baressi a shot.
3. the Dem candidates. One thing I find funny is that during the election year if you look at yard signs you will barely see any Democrats running, announce they are democrat on their signs. Own who you are and be proud. Also the language they use. I saw a flier from a candidate who wanted "to stop the extremist views" at our state capital. Basically the candidate was calling Oklahomans in the district that voted for the elected official stupid. That is no way to win an election, insulting your own constitutes.
4. Health. We should ban public smoking and raise the tax on cigarettes.
5. liquor laws. They are out dated and need to be updated.

Oh yeah... if only you were mayor, this city would really reach its full potential.

[RadicalModerate]

Just out of curiosity . . .
Isn't there a "logical fallacy" of some sort involved in the title of this thread?
Is OKC actually being "held back"?
Personally, I don't see it. It just looks better and better to me all the time.

(except, of course, for the ongoing klusterfukke up around the vicinity of Penn and Memorial, soon to include Western and Memorial =)

[Plutonic Panda]

Just out of curiosity . . .
Isn't there a "logical fallacy" of some sort involved in the title of this thread?
Is OKC actually being "held back"?
Personally, I don't see it. It just looks better and better to me all the time.

Well, it isn't growing as fast as Austin or Raleigh and I believe that is what the title is referencing to.

[RadicalModerate]

Usually "fast growth" implies some sort of disease.
Sort of like cancer.

[bchris02]

Just out of curiosity . . .
Isn't there a "logical fallacy" of some sort involved in the title of this thread?
Is OKC actually being "held back"?
Personally, I don't see it. It just looks better and better to me all the time.

OKC is not being held back, but as PluPan said its not growing as fast as many other cities, including some not too far away. Question is, why is that and what, if anything, can be done to get 20%+ growth rates in OKC? While the moderate, steady growth being experienced in OKC is great and many exciting things are happening, once you've seen first hand what is happening in places like Austin or Charlotte, you realize there is no comparison. What is keeping OKC from getting to that level?

Pretty much everything that everybody posted here comes down to three categories. Politics, perception, and quality of life.

[RadicalModerate]

Is a 20% growth rate a good thing if those responsible for making sure that the infrastructure to support that rate of growth isn't at least 30% ahead of it instead of 50% behind?

[adaniel]

OKC is not being held back, but as PluPan said its not growing as fast as many other cities, including some not too far away. Question is, why is that and what, if anything, can be done to get 20%+ growth rates in OKC? While the moderate, steady growth being experienced in OKC is great and many exciting things are happening, once you've seen first hand what is happening in places like Austin or Charlotte, you realize there is no comparison. What is keeping OKC from getting to that level?

Pretty much everything that everybody posted here comes down to three categories. Politics, perception, and quality of life.

OKC is growing at 1.8% as of last year.

[RadicalModerate]

If someone doesn't actually live in OKC/TheSprawl/Therof--and experience daily all of the trial and tribulations of non-growth remote-oriented non-infrastructure--then I think they, that is the "someone" referred to in the previous phrase, wouldn't begin to understand the difference between Mayberry and "Goin' on up t' Raleigh fer . . .". (historical paradigm reference. google it.)

Population Growth ain't necessarily a good thing unless it's confined to Downtown.
For the Re-Ubanization Factor. =)
(although, I must admit, I REALLY like the improvements down there.)

I guess that's the sort of attitude "Holding OKC Back" . . . =)
from an outsider's point of view.

[PennyQuilts]

They want to stone homosexuals to death.

[Plutonic Panda]

They want to stone homosexuals to death.

who?

[PennyQuilts]

who?

Some idiot person running for office and the regular hysterics are claiming Oklahoma will rally to the cause. It gives credence to the argument that Oklahoma is full of morons.

[TheTravellers]

who?

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22s...w=1220&bih=666